Last week before school ended for the year a sign was put up at the entrance of P.S. 153's schoolyard that said the playground would be open when school is not in session from 8 a.m. to dusk everyday.

On June 29 I took my daughter there after 5 p.m. and the school yard was locked up. A neighbor told me something must have happened, the yard was locked up for the night and would reopen the next day.

On June 30 I took my daughter there after 3 p.m.

She was riding her bike around the school yard. There were other children there playing on the play equipment in the outer yard so I did not have to worry about my daughter hitting them with her bike.

The next thing I know two men started locking up the gates to the entrances to the school yard. They told me and the others that the school yard closes everyday at 4:30 p.m. I said I thought it was to stay open until dusk. One man said only on the weekends will it stay open until dusk.

He said this week it won't be open at all to the public because summer camp starts.

Why did they put up a sign saying it would be open to the neighborhood children everyday from 8 a.m. to dusk when that's not true? There are lots of children who live near the school who want to use it.

The nearest parks are Reiff Park, which you have to cross Fresh Pond Road to get to, and Grover Cleveland Park, which you have to cross Metropolitan Avenue to get to.